On Tuesday the Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum's office announced an investigation of Three South Florida law firms.
The firms are identified as; The Law Offices of Marshall C. Watson in Fort Lauderdale, Shapiro & Fishman, which has offices in Boca Raton and Tampa and the Law Offices of David J. Stern, P.A. in Plantation.
It is alleged that the firms, which were hired by loan servicers to begin foreclosure proceedings when homeowners were behind on their mortgages, may have fabricated mortgage assignments in order to speed up the foreclosure process.
"Thousands of final judgments of foreclosure against Florida homeowners may have been the result of the allegedly improper actions of the law firms under investigation," said McCollum, who is running for governor.
McCollum said his office also is looking into whether the firms created affiliated companies outside of the U.S., where the allegedly false documents are prepared.
"We are seeing a paperwork trail where law firms, through a mill, prepared paperwork with signatures from lenders who had assigned the mortgage," he said.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE STERN SUBPEONA
CLICK HERE TO READ THE SHAPIRO & FISHMAN SUBPEONA
CLICK HERE TO READ THE MARSHALL WATSON SUBPEONA
Here are just a few excerpts' from the Stern subpoena;
YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED to produce at said time and place all documents, as defined, relating to the following subjects:
- The names and addresses of any and all companies used by DJS to draft and/or execute Assignments of Mortgage or Affidavits for the past 5 years, including any contracts between the lending institutions and DJS allowing for the use of the companies to draft and/or execute said Assignments of Mortgage.
- Copies of all non-disclosure agreements that DJS has or had over the past 5 years with any and all of its employees, subcontractor or independent contractors.
- Documents, including emails that evidence what the pay scales, pay grades and/or bonuses paid by DJS to employees, subcontractors or independent contractors for completion of foreclosure cases within a certain time period.
- For the past 5 years, the names and addresses of any corporations, companies, partnerships or associations that David J. Stern and/or DJS has any interest in, including any foreign corporations, and detail what the business does and what type of interest is held by Stern and/or DJS.
- List all notaries for the past 5 years that worked or works for DJS who notarized Affidavits as to fee and Assignments of Mortgage, include their names and addresses.
- Documents, including emails, that evidence what the pay scales, pay grades and/or bonuses paid by lenders to DJS or its employees, subcontractors or independent contractors for completion of foreclosure cases within a certain time period
We applaud Attorney General Bill McCollum for investigating these firms and their alleged questionable practices.
It's exactly this sort of alleged fraud and illegal foreclosure procedures; forcing people out of their homes. Homeowners are being taken advantage of and need to seek the advice of an experienced Florida foreclosure defense attorney.
Get the legal advice you need; understand your rights and know your options. We do not charge for an initial consultation, so there is no cost for you to see if we can help. Call us today for a FREE initial consultation (561) 392-7031